Page 13 of Dead Calm
The barn had been remodeled and converted into hotel rooms in the early 1980s. “That sounds lovely, Vivienne, but lonely at the same time. Have you ever seen the white light?”
“I have. It was a long time ago. My mother beckoned me to her, but I refused to go. I did not want to run into Walt again. It turns out, so many women needed me here.”
Ten’s heart broke for Vivienne. The idea of not going to heaven just in case your abusive boyfriend was there was beyond tragic. “Who are the women who need you to stay?”
“Women like me who are scared, trapped, or who can’t leave the men who hurt them. I don’t want them to be alone.” Vivienne sniffled and blotted her eyes with a white handkerchief.
“Are you worried about Lainie? We saw her boyfriend being rough with her last night.”
“I am very worried for Lainie. When she and Kurt came to the hotel, they were the sweetest couple. So much in love. As the summer wore on, things began to change. Kurt started by being jealous of the attention guests at the hotel paid to her. Then he started shouting at her, saying that Lainie loved the men flirting with her. That progressed into him grabbing her arm, dragging Lainie behind him. I am afraid of what’s to come.” Vivienne paused. She began blotting her eyes again.
“You’re worried he’s going to hit her.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” Vivienne agreed. She stood and smoothed down her rumpled apron. “If you’ll excuse me, Lainie is coming on duty at the Taproom. I must go to her.”
“Vivienne, before you go, I just want you to know that Everly has the power to summon the white light. If you get to a point where you want to cross over, she will be happy to help you. We’re also going to be there for Lainie if things get worse with Kurt.”
“As I said, Everly is truly a remarkable child. Thank you, Tennyson. Perhaps we will speak again.” Nodding, Vivienne vanished.
Heading back into his suite, Ten checked on Ronan, who was snoring, and headed downstairs. He was tempted to also check in on Lainie, but he knew that if there was trouble, Vivienne would come find him.
When Ten stepped onto the first floor porch, there wasn’t a seat to be had. Groups of vacationers were drinking fruity cocktails and laughing together. He walked down the stairs and through the gorgeous grounds until he reached the beach.
“Hi, Dad!” Everly called from the water, where Ezra was splashing her.
“You look like you’re having fun!” Ten snapped a few pictures of the kids playing in the water.
“This is the best day ever!” Everly squealed when Wolf splashed her.
Ten took a seat between Jace and Cope.
“I’m getting a feeling today isn’t the best day ever for you.” Cope nudged Ten’s shoulder. “Is Ronan okay?”
“He was sleeping like a baby when I left. He’ll be fine by tomorrow morning. Thankfully, Fitz only booked one sailing trip.”
Cope chuckled. “Okay, so if it’s not Ronan, what’s wrong?”
“I met Vivienne LaRue on the porch. She was sitting in the rocking chair outside your room.” Ten hated to ruin Cope’s vacation like this. Everything had been all fun and games when they thought no ghosts inhabited the hotel.
“You’re not ruining my vacation. What did Vivienne tell you? Was she murdered?” Cope asked.
“We didn’t get that far.” Ten shook his head. He knew that would have been the first question Ronan or Jude would have asked, but in his opinion, the spirit had been through enough interrogations thanks to the ghost hunting team. “She told me how impressed she was with Everly, who invited Vivienne to be her best friend. I’m not sure if she could sense the spirit, but she made the offer to help if Vivienne needed it.”
“It’s possible she might still be sensitive about how she died,” Cope suggested.
“Vivienne told me she’s stayed at the hotel all of these years to look out for women in similar violent circumstances to her own. She doesn’t ever want them to be alone. Right now, she’s very worried about Lainie, our bartender, from last night.”
“We’re all worried about her. Jude asked me to check in on her this evening if he isn’t well enough to get out of bed. Did Vivienne know anything about Lainie’s situation that could help us to help her?”
“She said something a little odd.” Ten hadn’t been able to get this particular fact out of his mind. “Vivienne said that when Lainie and Kurt first came to the hotel, they had a great relationship. There was no fighting, no raised voice, no threats of violence. As the summer went on, the verbal abuse and control started.”
“Did the same thing happen to Vivienne and Walt?” Cope asked.
“I don’t know. There wasn’t time to ask.” Ten should have asked several questions. It wasn’t like him to let an opportunity like that pass him by. “What are you thinking?”
“If that was the case with Vivienne and Walt it sounds like history is repeating itself with Lainie and Kurt.”
Ten nibbled his lower lip. “That makes a lot of sense. We need to find out what happened to Walt after he left the hotel during the hurricane.”
